Tip for the New Depression: Become a Respected Author!

Writing for newspapers, or even something as exalted as a blog, is not the easy path to riches it once seemed. But here's a surefire way for scriveners to get ahead even in hard times: build up a distinguished body of work and wait for the grants to roll in. The Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation just gave $50K apiece to ten writers. Being philistine, we are unfamiliar with all but one of the artists, that being Dael Orlandersmith, a Pulitzer-nominated, Obie-winning playwright who's been at it for years. So if you're new to the racket, better work up a nice fake resume; that should be easy, as no one reads literature anymore. Or consider a career in the fast-growing field of culture writing! P.S. Don't let this get around.